McLeod Lake facts for kids

Quick facts for kids McLeod Lake
McLeod Lake Location in British Columbia
Country	Canada
Province	British Columbia
Regional District	Fraser-Fort George
Established	1805
Area
• Land	10.23 km2 (3.95 sq mi)
Elevation	756 m (2,496 ft)
Population  (2016)
• Total	94
• Density	8.5/km2 (22/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC−8 (PST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−7 (PDT)
Postal code span	V0J 2G0
Area code(s)	250 / 778 / 236
Highways	Hwy 97

McLeod Lake is a small community in northern British Columbia, Canada. It is located right on Highway 97. It is about 140 kilometers (87 miles) north of Prince George. This place is special because it was the first European settlement to be continuously lived in west of the Rocky Mountains in what is now Canada.

The Story of McLeod Lake

The community was first called Trout Lake Fort. It was started in 1805 by an explorer named Simon Fraser. He was a trader for the North West Company. For a while, it was known as La Malice Fort. This name came from an employee left in charge when Fraser was away.

Later, it became known as Fort McLeod. This happened when Archibald Norman McLeod was in charge of the trading post for many years. The place where the old fort stood was made a National Historic Site of Canada in 1953. This means it is a very important historical place.

The McLeod Lake Indian Reserve

Right next to the main community is the McLeod Lake Indian Reserve No. 1. About 87 people live there. Most of them are Athabascan Sekani people. They call themselves "Tse'Khene," which means "the people of the rock." This name refers to the Rocky Mountains.

In the year 2000, the people of this community signed Treaty 8. This treaty is an agreement between Indigenous peoples and the Canadian government. By signing it, the community is working towards having more control over their own affairs. They also want to create stable jobs for their people.

The lake itself is quite large, covering about 2,290 hectares (5,659 acres).